7 in 10 to use smartphones for shopping in coming year: Study

About 70 percent consumers are expected to use their smartphones for shopping in the coming year, a new study has revealed.

The study conducted by research firm IDC found that 69 percent of respondents agree that the smartphone is a critical tool for shopping and is going to transform the shopping experience.

It was also revealed that about seven in 10 respondents checked prices using their smartphones, and five in 10 said that they checked reviews from their smartphones.

The research found that one in five survey respondents bought from a competitor while they were shopping in a retail store this holiday season, while one in three purchased much more online versus in a retail store this year compared to last year.

The research analysed the app and mobile Web activity of over 10,000 smartphone users during the holiday shopping season and Amazon came on top with more consumer accessing its app while brick-and-mortar retailers lagged behind.

Vice President and Consulting Partner for IDC's global Buyer Behavior Practice, Allan Fromen said that the smartphone is at the center of people's lives and the data indicated that for a significant number of people, the smartphone is now also a critical shopping tool.